Why?

Why do we need a Planetarium in Southwest Missouri?
Our mission statement makes this very clear, although I will endeavour to make it a little plainer in some key areas.

First is Entertainment: A Planetarium will be a first class entertainment destination. Something very new, immersive and totally different than any other facility in the area, and for most visitors a unique experience they will want to visit each time they visit Branson. One thing we know about young people today, is that if something is not entertaining they just will not get it. The productions they will be able to view, and the temporary, ever-changing science exhibits they will be able to interact with, will give them something to enjoy, and want to experience again and again. Each visit will have new, different exhibits and productions. I think this is an easy way to teach and learn.

Second-Educate: I have now idea how it was done but when I was in high school I learned music, both instrumental and voice. Played team ball sports, and track. We had an excellent shop department, as well as Home Ec., there was also 4-H and technical schools offered. Drivers Ed. etc. etc. I say this only in the opinion that to much money is being wasted in today's schools. I had exposure to a wide range of activities, more so I venture to guess than can be acquired today. Also I believe that children need to be exposed to a wide range of human endeavour to be able to find out what their particular passion is for. When the child figures out where their interests lie, they will be able to discover what they need to accomplish to make it happen. If we try to turn out cookie cutter children no one is happy with the result. Teachers teach best when they have motivated students, and the teacher has a passion for the particular subjects needed to fulfill a students needs.

Third-Inspire: This is where it all comes together. If you take a student who has been exposed to a wide variety of influences and they find one entertaining enough that they want to find out more, inspiration takes hold and keeps them motivated. I have been inspired by lots of things in my life, with astronomy being one. I have waited all my life to find out more about the wonders of the universe. I believe we can inspire children in this region to be more interested in what they think are the "hard" subjects by making them entertaining. STEM, science, technology, engineering, and math are subjects that the United States is falling far behind in the numbers that will be needed for the future of our country's well being. These are the subjects that are used to explore, build, and find out the answer to the big question of  WHY.

Keep Looking Up
Larry Tate

Perseids? What in the world is a Persied?

The Perseid Meteor Shower is so named because the meteors seem to radiate or fall from the constellation Perseus. They are not associated with this constellation but are remnants of the comet Swift-Tuttle. Comets have debris trails millions of miles long and the earth at regular times basically runs through these debris trails, which creates the meteor showers. It is just debris left behind, and as it hits the atmosphere it burns up, and looks really cool in the process. If you are wondering where to look, Perseus is close to Andromeda and Cassiopeia, in other words NE after midnight, best before dawn. That's the only problem for me with meteor showers they are almost always before dawn, yawn. And yes the moon will wash them out, but the moon will be in the south so get on the north side of a house or tree and look up. Meteors, especially these will come and go over a period of sometimes several days so, be sure and look up a couple of nights. You wont be able to see as many small ones but should be able to see some big ones at regular intervals certainly more than usual.
Ok now that I've bored you to death with that, we are looking for fund-raising ideas. If anyone has any good ideas, different, cool, fun, or unusual let me know. I would appreciate it. If you notice I have added some links to the Blog sight. Check them out, there are some very informative sites and not least the link to Springfield Astronomical Society's site. Come out and see us.
Working on some cool new things, and hope you all stay cooler.
Keep Looking Up
Larry

Space News and Ramblings

Something very interesting and yes, cool is going on in space right now. What you ask?
After gently cruising through interplanetary space for over four years, Dawn, NASA’s asteroid probe, will enter orbit around asteroid 4 Vesta at 1 a.m. EDT on July 16th. The arrival marks the beginning of a yearlong study of the second-largest object in the belt of rocky bodies between Mars and Jupiter.

NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image of the giant asteroid Vesta with its framing camera on July 9, 2011. It was taken from a distance of about 26,000 miles (41,000 km). Vesta has an average diameter of 329 miles (530 km), and the image resolves details roughly 2½ miles (4 km) in size.

NASA / JPL / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA

Yesterday NASA released an image of Vesta taken on July 9th, when Dawn was only 26,000 miles (42,000 km) from the asteroid. As chief engineer Marc Rayman noted earlier this month, the spacecraft's destination looks, "wrinkled, ancient, wizened, with a tremendous amount of character that bears witness to some fascinating episodes in the solar system's history."

Launched on September 27, 2007, Dawn carries high-resolution cameras, spectrometers, and other instruments to investigate the true nature of two alien worlds: Vesta and 1 Ceres. After exploring Vesta for a year, Dawn will set sail for Ceres in late 2012. Scientists believe that these two objects, which formed early in the life of the solar system, carry important clues to the formation of the terrestrial planets.
Ok, I copied that part. But I wanted to get it right, and it is the first time we have had an orbiter this far out in our very own solar system.
What else you ask? Neptune has made the first complete orbit around the sun since 1846. Long time huh. I think its fascinating that it takes this planet so long to make one complete orbit. Strange stuff?
But, this is what I think makes space in general such a wonderful thing to contemplate. When you watch programs on tv or read articles, you get "facts" the only problem with these facts is the fact that without actual visual up close encounters everything is an educated guess. Fine and well, just remember that there are lots of surprises and we DO NOT know everything yet. So to put a fine point on it we still need children, and people to be inspired, educated, and entertained enough to want to find out these things. You cannot Google everything. And that's why I have such a passion for a facility dedicated to these objectives. Stay in touch and keep looking up!

And try to stay cool.
Larry

The End Of An Era

I guess I am just getting old. Well everyone knows that. I just cannot believe the last Shuttle will be going up Friday, barring weather problems which right now look very likely. NASA has plans to transition to a new system (supposedly) which could be very similar, but it just wont be the same. Of course, it is very hard to comprehend. One, I have always had the opinion that NASA was the be all end all for actual rocket science. Until a new system is developed we will be sending OUR astronauts to the ISS aboard a Soyuz Russian capsule. I was in Houston last year, and trust me if I had to ride in that, compared to the shuttle I would stay on the ground. Looks a lot like our old capsules, only not as pretty. Remember when we used to pick them up in the ocean? Well, that's how the Russians roll. And they have already raised the fares. With China graduating 42% of their college graduates in Stem disciplines and the US graduating 5% where do you think the rocket scientists and technology we are so proud of is going to come from? NASA has become so scared of harming someone it basically is afraid to do the kind of projects that took us to the moon. To say nothing about an out of control bureaucracy. It is just disappointing to me. I guess I will just have to watch old John Wayne movies. Ok, I will get off my soapbox.
We are going to be announcing some news soon for the planetarium project, so stay tuned. And get in front of a tv and watch the takeoff and landing of a truly magnificent and inspiring spacecraft. At least let your kids understand that this is something important.
And as always remember to Keep Looking Up.
If you follow my twitter feeds swmoplanetarium I post anytime the ISS is coming over our skies. Summer is a good time to get the kiddies outside and let them know there are still adventurers among us, and over us.
Godspeed STS 135 the last.

Yes, I Know I'm Late

I first want to thank everyone that contribute to making our Launch Party a big success. Beth Whitehead did a tremendous job, and thanks for bringing the moon rocks and asteroid samples. I have never been so close to the moon. Springfield Astronomical Society members you know who you are. It was a rare treat to have solar viewing, 3 different ways including a hydrogen alpha solar scope specifically designed for solar viewing. And also thanks very much to Dale Flippo (pres.) for bringing out one of the largest scopes in the area for public viewing. As much fun as we had I think Sonshine D the balloon clown was about as popular as anything. lol. Still, all in all a very informative and fun evening. We are looking forward to having more events in Branson MO in the future and I will have news about these at a later date. It has been very hard to think about the project with all our neighbors in Joplin having such a hard time, and notwithstanding all the poor flood victims along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. A rough start to summer.
I would like to put out a call for any volunteers that would like to be involved in this project. You do not need any expertise. We just need people with a desire to see this most important project for our children's education come to fruition.
I am announcing at this time that the Bob Nichols Company is going to be handling our marketing and p.r. in the future and I am looking forward to being involved with him. Bob and his wife are on the board of the Branson Arts Council and share my enthusiasm for this endeavor. This is very exciting news.
I have liked Sky and Telescope and will use them and Astronomy magazine, and will depend on their coverage for the night sky and monthly events. There are many beautiful galaxies and double stars visible with a set of binoculars this time of year. I have been taking some pictures in the backyard and will post these for all to see. Actually they are already on FB and Twitter. Please like us and follow our tweets.
There will be some exciting news coming in the near future I promise, so, stay tuned and as always.
https://picasaweb.google.com/LarryWTate/Galaxies?authkey=Gv1sRgCK28wPO195CgXQ&feat=directlink

Keep looking up.
Larry

It Is Time

                                          Watch the Stars Come Out in Branson

Announcing:

Launch Party/Fundraiser for the Southwest Missouri Planetarium, Science Education Center and Hubble Museum.

Purpose: Community outreach, information, fun.

Where: Branson, MO Rec-Plex, 1500 Branson Hills Parkway

When: May 21st, 5;30-10:00 PM

What to expect: Portable Planetarium, with a special projection system that is only available in the most state of the art planetaiums. Truly spectacular!! Telescope viewing, courtesy of Springfield Astronomical Society. Which will include a hydrogen alpha solar scope that will show the surface of the sun with all the drama you see in publications. And one of the largest apeture scopes in the area a 20 inch reflector, and we should get better views of Saturn than even I have seen before. NASA exhibits, including moon rock display. Balloon Clown Sonshine D , Various related exhibits. Chance to meet the people involved in bringing this project to Branson.

Cost: Free

Hope to see everyone out that is interested in this project, science or astronomy.

Larry Tate

Director

Southwest Missouri Planetarium

PO Box 7078

Branson, MO 65615

www.swmoplanetarium.org

417-501-5388

PS: If the weather is bad we will have all the indoor activities including the portable planetarium. So come see us, if you can.

April "Floods" Bring May Flowers?

Well, another interesting month is about to slip by, actually had a few clear nights this month for stargazing, and then the Oklahoma Express, Monsoon started up. Interesting weather, Glad our proposed sight for building in Branson is up the hill from the lake. I think we will have to get a boat to rescue our dock at the family cabin on Tablerock. If you get a chance get down to the dam and watch the water coming from the spillways, hasnt happened since 08. An awesome display of man and nature. Anyway, big news for the planetarium coming up. April 29th and 30th, 2:00-9:00 pm we will be at the Branson Food and Wine Festival. Why? Just to talk to people aout the project, and meet people that have been drinking wine, maybe they will want to contribute. LOL We will have cookies and conversation, so come by and see us.
May 21st, no matter what 417 Magazine says (see article May 417) we will have our official, very first, Launch Party, Fundraiser at the Branson, MO REC-PLEX, 5:30-10:00 PM. Counting on everyone to come out and see us. There will be a portable planetarium, telescope viewing, prizes, demonstrations, balloons, etc. Come find out about us and see what the planetarium is all about. We are hoping to have actual graphic renderings of what the facility could look like.
And I hope to have a very big announcement by then????? Have to come?

The visual sky this month,
Saturn is still up and spectacular, the night of 22-23 you should see the four brightest moons strung out in a line. (binos).
The Eta Aquarid Meteor shower on the 6th is truly a way for the visual observer to experience the universe. up to 25 meteors per hour, but will be coming from the S.E. instead of from straight down, so will be slightly sideways when they come over. This is debris from the tail of Halley's comet.
Early mornings will see Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, and Mars all coming up about 30 minutes before the sun in the east.
Nothing to spectacular, but as I say each month, buy a good pair of Astronomical Binoculars, or a small telescope. Get in touch with me and I can make suggestions. With just good binos you will get way better views than those wal mart telescopes, and are much easier to use.
Ok, have to get going to Branson for the Wine and Food or Food and Wine not sure which comes first, but I will figure it out.

Keep Looking Up:
Larry

April Showers? or Wind

Seems more like March today as I write this. Supposed to storm (april showers) tomorrow though. The wind today was atrocious. Last night I tried what is called a Messier Marathon. Charles Messier created a list of 109 objects that are popular with all observers. March 15th is the ideal time to catch all objects from dusk to daylight. But I tried to image each object with a computerized telescope (go to) but even that wasnt good enough as mother nature tried to blow us off the field about 4:00 am. With about 70 images acquired. Of course when I say 70 that means 10 exposures with the camera with the shutter open for 15 sec. each. So it does take some time, for each. Thats basically 700 images. Anyway, it was the best night probably of the year, so far. And I want to thank Steve Davis, Tammy Flippen and John Moody, probably one of the best amateur imagers in this area. http://panthercreekastro.mysite.com/index.html for their help and support. I am not that good as I am still learning (slowly). lol
April the night sky:

April 23--1:00 am till dawn the Lyrid meteor shower. unfortunately the moon will be up also, but if you can find a tree or something to block the moon, think shadow, the shower should be fairly good. At least warmer, they will originate from the constellation Lyra so look for Vega, brightest star overhead. Good luck.

April 30, early in the month if you are up at or before dawn, you can see the crescent moon just above very bright Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter. But a telescope or binocs will be necessary for most. Venus will be 87% full and very bright.

So, not much exciting for visual observers, but as I always tell you, it doesnt cost much to get involved with a little help, you could show your kids the rings of Saturn or the moons of Jupiter this month. Not sure of the date, but the Springfield Astronomy Club will have an outreach just before our big launch party/fundraiser in Branson, so come visit, and talk to some of the members and we can help you out.

The Planetarium project is moving along, and I hope everybody will consider supporting us, and donating if possible. We are also looking for some board members from the Branson area. All we need is the support of the community, and we can make this happen.

Keep Looking Up
Larry

Well it's here

Yes, I think we can finally say Spring is here, robins, fish biting, pear trees starting to flower, and yes the wind is blowing. I'm begining to think if we dont get a planetarium we will never see the stars again. I wanted to visit a little bit about the financial models for our project and how anyone who wants to get involved or help can. Our project is proposed on the idea that if we make a profit by providing the tourists and locals a wonderful entertainment venue. We will be able to offer school children a very low cost educational, and yes inspirational and entertaining opportunity. This opportunity will allow kids to get excited about STEM education. huh. that stands for science,technology, engineering and math. And yes, there are other venues teaching this in the region. But, what if a kid could attend a space camp in the summer, or figure out what they might be most interested in, and be able to concentrate on that discipline? The teaching opportunities are endless. And when I say low cost I mean, money shouldn't be the issue. I mean if a teacher brings in a class for a dome presentation, they would be required to take back a lesson plan and report back to us the results of what was learned and retained. Instead of writing a check!! What do you think, I would like to know. We have lots of other ideas for learning. A learning library. Like something you saw at the presentation, want to learn more? Your teacher will be able to check out a book for you to investigate just that subject. Telescopes that can be lended like a library? But it all depends on community support, and by that I mean from corporate donors to individuals willing to support this project even if it's only 5-10-25.00 at a time. I feel its time that this region have a resource that only larger metropolitan areas enjoy. And we can do this with the entertainment aspect.  I am not going into any observing this time. It will soon be time for the May update I just thought it was important for everyone to get a feel of what we were trying to do. We also will be having our first launch party/fundraiser at the Branson Rec Plex in May. Big surprises in store and family fun. Stay tuned. Like us on Facebook, follow on Twitter. Pass along our website, and before long we will be flying through the universe.
Keep Looking Up!!
Larry

Almost March Already

Cant believe it but we made it (almost) through February already. Hope nobody froze to death or got buried in snow. lol It was pretty rough for a few days though.
As I indicated last month I would like to tell you about our plans for our Science Center and Hubble Museum, at the new Planetarium we want to build. A lot of people in this area are satisfied with the status quo and are happy with the educational opportunities available in southwest missouri, but I am not. I feel as long as China is graduating 42% of their students in math, science and physics, and we are only graduating 4-5% in the same fields, something is wrong. Are our students less intelligent? I don't think so. I feel that it has to do with culture and opportunity to be exposed to the wonderful things these disciplines can engender. I grew up in the era of the Apollo moon missions. At that time it was a lot of kids dreams to be an astronaut or be involved in space. But those times have changed. And not for the better. Children need to get back to believing that anything is possible, and not that everything is known if you just Google it.
Our Science Education Center will focus on trying to inspire the creative genius in every child that visits. And to teach them it is alright to ask questions and if the answer is not known, hey, maybe I can figure it out. We will have space camps, after school programs and AVI equipped classrooms. We will be able to show live feeds from NASA, such as the shuttle launch coming up thursday or the recent flyby of comet Temple 1. Sure you can get it on the NASA channel on direct tv. But how much cooler with a classroom of other kids getting everything explained, and why it's important. If you talk to anyone involved in space or science they were inspired by a look through a telescope or a visit to a planetarium. In our programs there will be not only space but physical science, and of course math and engineering emphasized.
We will also have a Hubble museum, most think that Hubble built the Hubble telescope, but no he grew up in Marshfield, Mo. and made many important observations about how our universe works. The telescope that bears his name was an honorarium to him. In the museum we will be celebrating Mo's contributions to astronomy. Sharpley was another famous astronomer from Missouri as well as 4 Astronauts that have ties to Missouri. And I think most schoolchildren have no idea about this. We will teach them.
The sky this month.
March:
The second half of March will bring the best views of Mercury available for a while. Look for it next to Jupiter in the early evening before they set. After the 19th Mercury will still be visible in the western sky after Jupiter has set.
In early March Saturn will be visible in the eastern sky about an hour after twilight fades.
Venus will dominate the morning sky but only about 2 hrs. fading to 75 minutes before sunrise the rest of the month. And for visual observing that's about it, for the month. Please think about a set of good binoculars or a small telescope as there are many other objects to observe with a little help.
Oh, and the vernal equinox occurs at 7:21 EDT March 20. This is the start of the Norther Hemispheres spring!!  Woo Hoo finally.
Remember keep looking up
Larry

The Winter Doldrums

Sometimes I think if I didnt look at the night sky, I would swear winter would never be over. But fortunately the groundhog in Pennsylvania, and Orion slipping farther and farther down earlier and earlier tell us that no matter how cold and snowy Spring is on its way. I do trust Orion much more than the groundhog by the way. And yes, we cant see the night sky as well as we would like to right now, but anticipation builds for when we can? When our planetarium is built we will be able to bask in the night sky in comfort and clarity. For those of you who arent familiar with a state of the art digital (domed theater) think of an Imax that projects the image on a bowl over your head, and 360 degrees around you, basically you enter inside a ball with the bottom cut away. This accurately portrays the sky dome that you see when outside. Now picture almost anything that can be shown on a screen, from astronomy shows that land you on the surface of Mars, courtesy of the Mars Rovers to flying out to the edge of the imagined Universe where our Milky Way Galaxy is just a part of the starry background. Also immersive natural science type productions. I like to imagine the lions eating, or flying to Angel Falls in Africa. And a huge amount of productions fictional or not of space adventures. And all of this in the highest definition video, with tremendous sound qualities. I could go on and on as you can tell.
The sky for Febuary:
Not to much spectacular for visual observers, buy a pair of good binoculars, under 100.00 ask me where, and you can see so much more.
The 19th thru mar. 6, look up at the  eve. sky about 80 minutes after sunset, clear skies required. Look to the western horizon and you might see the zodiacal light, good for pics. with a digital camera also. You might see a tall pyramid of pearly light sloping slightly to the left, following the path of the eliptic. (the path the planets sun and moon basically travel) with Jupiter shining at its base. Very nice. This is the light reflecting off the upper atmosphere as the sun drops.
The 20th and 21st, Saturn, and the star Spica will form an equilateral triangle with the moon about 40 minutes before dawn. So get up early.
Let me know if you want tips for bino. viewing or more information on deep sky observing. Just tell me what you want and are interested in the most, next month I will let you know about the Science Education Center, and Hubble Museum that will be part of our project.
Until then remember KEEP LOOKING UP
Larry

Spring is coming??

Woo Hoo, warmed up today, almost 50. I seem to remember when that was cold. Now its warm? Oh well a matter of perspective. In the a.m. if the weather is cooperative, you can see the moon, saturn, venus, and several prominent stars before sunrise. Look to the s.w. Also saturn will be a great target this next month, its rings are tilted at 10 degrees and will be impressive most of the nights. A rather sobering event is the anniversary of the Challenger disaster, friday will be the 25th year. And feb. 1 will be the anniversary of the Columbia burning up on re-entry.
Now for the fun stuff, yours truly will have an editorial piece in the Springfield New Leader on the 27th I believe. I know not much time but i'm trying. The Planetarium and Science Center got it's first write up officicially in the Branson/Tri Lakes News last week, so that is very exciting. We will have lots of news shortly concerning fund-raising and a possible launch party get together. I would continue to implore you to give out our web-site address, www.swmoplanetarium.org and to please find and like us and recommend us to your other facebook friends. We are also on Twitter, if you have a Twitter account let us know and we will follow you. Well thats about it for now. Keep looking up!!